Image: Arturs Silovs does a victory lap for over 7000 fans at the Abbotsford Centre post-game on Saturday, May 31, 2025. / Abbotsford Canucks / Facebook

By Alyssa Conti

ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS

Abbotsford Canucks take 2-0 series lead as Šilovs earns 5th playoff shutout

Jun 1, 2025 | 11:33 AM

ABBOTSFORD — Abbotsford’s brick wall has blocked out yet another team this playoff run, helping the Canucks earn a 2-0 series lead in Game 2 of the AHL Western Conference Finals series against the Texas Stars.

Netminder Artūrs Šilovs stopped 26 shots and earned his fifth shutout of the season Saturday night (May 31) – only one away from the 2000 AHL Calder Cup record of six shutouts by Rochester Americans goalie Mika Noronen, before his time with the Vancouver Canucks.

Šilovs and Stars’ Remi Poirier were each instrumental in keeping the scoreboard unmoved for two periods until Canucks blueliner Akito Hirose broke the deadlock at 7:39 into third with help from Linus Karlsson and Arshdeep Bains.

The rest of the game didn’t go by without incident, though. With just under three minutes left, Texas forward Curtis McKenzie took a shot that could have tied up the game, but referees later deemed it was not a goal.

At the last second, Texas forward Kole Lind seemingly said something to Šilovs that led to a kerfuffle between the two players in front of the net. Three other players from both teams also received penalties for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct at the Texas side of the rink.

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